Ancient Triangle
by Satori Blackthorn
Summary: Seto Kaiba meets up with a mysterious figure from his far, far past. Can he override fate a destiny and solve just why he can never win her love? S/OC
1. Prologue

Ancient Triangle

Satori Blackthorn

*~* 

Yep, another Yu-Gi-Oh fic that starts in Ancient Egypt. Original I know, but this one will be different I swear! Seto meets up with a mysterious figure from his past. Can he override fate and destiny and solve just why he will never win her love? S/OC! 

Disclaimer – Not mine, and never will be.

BTW peoples, if anyone would be willing to beta this I would be honored to do the same to any ficcie they have on something I am familiar with. I want this fic to be one of my best and was hoping someone would help me out!

Genre – Romance/Adventure

Rating – PG-13

Prologue

A shadowed figure walked stealthily, creeping up on his unknowing prey outside on the balcony. He crept slowly, his bare feet not making any noise on the stone-tiled floor. He announced his presence to the woman standing at the railing by coming up behind her and enveloping her in a gentle embrace. She started in his grasp slightly, unaware he had been watching her.

"I told you I was going to meditate…"

"I knew you lied."

The woman's voice held a tinge of anger but the man ignored the sharpness, as her voice also held a fondness for him as well. He turned her around so she was facing him.

"Am I not permitted to see my beloved Shadow Dancer?" The man teased, turning her face towards his with his palm. She shrank back in retaliation from the tender touch.

Her voice turned to one of a bitter edge.

"Do not call me that," she said dangerously.

He sighed and let her go. She went back to the same position as she had been in when he surprised her. Leaning on the balcony railing he accompanied her. Together hey stood in stony silence, watching as the first star appeared in the rapidly darkening sky.

"I do not understand why you will not accept that I am promised to wed another."

"I will not accept it for I know that you do not truly love him--" he barely got to finish speaking when her hand collided with his face. A satisfying 'slap' resounded on impact and hung in the air as they stared each other down. Her silver eyes against his blue. 

Blue looked away first.

"Do not speak such things!" she whispered dangerously, hand still upraised.

If anything, her action made the man's smile grow wider. He turned back to look at her.

"You must realize you are not bound to him because of something foretold by the elders at your birth."

"I am not bound to anyone…" she replied defiantly. 

He walked a few steps away, then turned to gaze into her silver eyes again.

"Are you really?" he asked he turned to face the palace entrance.

He touched the spot where her hand had come into contact with his cheek and continued speaking to the woman. 

"Are you certain of that?"

There was a long silence, the man gazed up into the heavens and the woman stared angrily at the man's turned back. The man's voice broke the stillness.

"You have choices to make, whatever choice it be that you make- realize one thing, I will always be there for you, no matter what the circumstances." He slowly reached into the flowing white robes he was clothed in to take a small mirror from one of the hidden pockets. The mirror was oval in shape and around the rim, intricate carvings were etched in black. He walked back to the woman and pressed the object into her hands. Questionably, she looked down at the gift she held carefully in her palms.

"Oh," she gasped with a sharp intake of breath, "it's beautiful!"

"As are you," he replied. Holding her hands, her closed her fingers around the mirror. "Keep this always to remind yourself of the person you are not only on the outside but inside you as well."

"I-I, I cannot possibly accept this," she said uncertainly, "He would never allow it."

"It is not his to allow. It is given freely as a gift of friendship and promise."

"Promise?" she asked, confusion clearly written in her sorrowful eyes.

"Yes, the promise that wherever my body lies, and wherever my spirit roams, that my heart will forever be with you."

He embraced the beautiful woman and brought his lips to her ear and whispered his departing words.

"I promise I will always love you." 

Then, gently and regretfully, he let her go and returned to the shadows of the palace's towering stone pillars.

She watched as he stole quietly back inside. A wind picked up in the cool night, whipping her robes and hair around her still figure. The breeze caught the solitary tear that was making its way down her cheek.

"I wish I could hold the same promise my love," she answered to the empty balcony. "But I cannot."

End Prologue

A/N- Hmmm, I wonder who this sad woman is and why she can't love this mysterious hunk? Wait and see mes amis! 

Review please

Satori


	2. Back to Reality

Chapter One

Back to Reality

It was a normal morning at Domino High, the halls were teeming with teens who were either making there way to class or meet friends. Or, in the case of some, standing in front of their lockers staring listlessly into their crowded insides and wondering where their books were. It was noisy overall, people talking about the weekend they had or sharing the latest tidbit of gossip. The hottest topic, as per usual, revolved around Duel Monsters and in turn to the new Egyptian exhibition that was headlining the fall festival in the park later that day.

Snatches of different conversations could occasionally be heard above the incessant rumbling.

"… Deals on rare monsters…"

"… Through the ancient tomb…"

"… Just imagin' all tha Egyptian dancah babes!"

The last comment came from none other than the infamous, and ever flirtatious, Joey Wheeler. He was leaning on his closed locker, talking to his friends amiably, ignoring the fact that the bell had already rung and he still had yet to get his books out. The fact that he was born and raised in America was evident in his highly accented Japanese.

"Joey, do you have any idea how much us normal women hate to be referred to as 'babes'?" one of his friends, a shorter, brown-haired girl, named Tea, chastised him, accentuating her opinion with a slam of her locker.

"Wha'd ya say Tea?" he said, redirecting his attention to her from the group of girls who were clustered around on the other side of the hallway. Clueless as always he was always wondering why she was mad at him.

"Joey, you need to learn to treat girls with more respect," another boy stated from beside Joey, he was shorter than the others, almost abnormally so, with spiked red hair with golden highlights. His name was Yugi and was usually the one to break up the arguments within the group, though he was small he had a heart of gold and everyone knew he was the strongest of them all. If not in body, than in mind and heart, Yugi had gone through things they could only begin to imagine.

But at this moment in time, no evidence of past evils and conflicts could be seen. It was yet another school day where saving the world from the dark forces was far from anyone's mind.

The last teen in the group laughed, slinging a fully loaded bookbag over his shoulder. "Listen to Yugi, it's no wonder you're always in the doghouse with women bro!" He carelessly brushed a hand through his brown hair, styled in an interesting formation on top of his head. The two had been friends for as long as they could remember, but provoking Joey was always one of Tristan's favorite pastimes, if only to see how long he could keep it up before Joey was chasing after him. 

These days it seemed to take a little less goading.

"'Ey!" he growled, earning more laughter from his friends, "enough of tha dog jokes 'ear me?"

"Sure Jo, don't worry, I'm sure you won't have to _beg_ for dates forever!"

"Tristan! I'm gonna!"

Tristan grabbed Tea and held her in front of him like a living shield. The ever heroic Yugi tried to jump between them and grab the fist that was heading steadily towards the cringing Tristan. Suddenly, he froze in mid-swing.

For a moment no one moved, afraid of setting Joey off again. As seconds passed and no one moved, the friends started to get worried.

"Joey?" Yugi asked slowly, backing away from his American friend, "what's wrong?"

"Jo?" Tristan peered out from behind Tea cautiously, unsure of if Joey was still coming after him or not.

Joey stood stock still, as if in a trance. His openmouthed stare was directed down the hallway. Curious at their friend's stranger than usual behavior, they followed his gaze to the closed office door. 

"Joey? What are you staring at?" Tea asked warily. Joey didn't answer; he let his fist fall to his side and stood up straight, as if he hadn't heard them. He still stared slack-jawed at the door.

Suddenly, he snapped out of whatever spell he had fallen under.

"Huh? Hey guys, what're ya starin' at me for? Nevah mind, I jus' saw tha most gorgeous girl in the entire world!"

Yugi, Tristan and Tea face-vaulted. 

"JOEY!"

"Wha'?"

Shaking their heads at his hopelessness, they continued on their way to Miss Haruna's homeroom.

"'Ey guys wait fo' me!"

He caught up with them easily, after yanking open his locker and tossing a few things into his backpack. He jumped between Yugi and Tristan so he would be centered enough to continue his narrative.

"Ya shoulda seen 'er, she had blue hair wit silver highlights, an' man what a figure!" he continued on, unaware his friends were hardly listening to him at all. Other than Tea, who hit him upside the head with her math book.

"Come on Joey, Miss H gave us the afternoon off for the festival, don't ruin the mood by degrading all the girls you see!"

"But Tea! She 'ad blue hair!"

"I fail to see your point." Tea muttered darkly.

"What has blue hair?" asked a voice from behind them.

"Kaiba? What're you doing here?" asked Tristan regarding the new arrival with skepticism. "I thought you would be at the festival already, since KaibaCorp is displaying their new dual deck and all…"

Kaiba shrugged offhandedly. "We're involved in a number of things in the festival, I have some stuff to pick up before I get there." Kaiba's tone might have been carefree but his underlying words were clear, 'I run it I can go when I want.'

"That's cool Kaiba, I guess you get a first look at all the exhibits and displays then?" Tea asked, finding it hard to contain her enthusiasm, she couldn't wait to see all the different artifacts.

"I'm more concerned with our areas moreso than examining relics," Kaiba stated, not truly meaning to sound standoffish, "I will have to be working nonstop to keep everything in order.

Seto Kaiba was in the same grade and homeroom as Yugi and the gang, but for a long time hadn't associated with them, or anyone else, very much. Partially this was because Kaiba thought they were childish and immature and because everyone else thought that Kaiba was a heartless businessman whose attention was fixated only on KaibaCorp. After some complicated issues had developed and been solved with the help of little Yugi and his friends, Kaiba found it easier to talk to them. Or at least stand them, even the unorthodox Joey Wheeler – to an extent. Although Kaiba still enjoyed his own company rather than that of his 'friends' he had come to rely on being able to talk to them. Duelist Kingdom and the Battle City Tournament had taught him that there was something beneficial about having friends to rely on, though he would never admit it openly.

"Are the Duel Deck systems all up and running?" Tristan asked.

"Yes, and all ready for the first hapless test subjects, how 'bout you Wheeler? You want toe be a guinea pig? Or would that be a step up from lap dog?"

Joey growled. Yugi put a hand out to hold him back from doing anything stupid or might result in permanent damage to his friend.

"Come on Joey, it was just a joke… right Kaiba?"

He laughed, "of course it was Wheeler, I actually DO need your… expertise, and Yugi's too of course, to help sell my project. I'll be busy overseeing and can't participate in the demonstration itself."

"Sure Kaiba," Yugi answered quickly, hoping that Joey wouldn't blow his top and start a fight so early in the morning. "We'd be glad to try them out for you!"

"The demo starts at 4:00, so you'd be good to show up at 3:15, if I'm not there Mokuba and a few of my techs will be there to brief you and get you ready for the exhibition. If there are any problems, Mokuba will know how to get a hold of me before ShowTime." He turned to walk away when Tea spoke.

"What will you be up to all day Kaiba?"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at them, regarding them with a detached, cool look he had perfected after years of dealing with people who were trying to pry into areas of life he didn't want to discuss. They watched him in interest, wondering why he would not be present to overlook every minute detail, a trait he was known for.

Kaiba didn't think it was their business, knowing what his schedule was.

(I promise…)

Kaiba stood lost in a fog, not really looking at Yugi and his friends anymore, recalling an old, ancient memory. The recollection had only come to him, hours earlier, in the form of a dream, and he was finding it hard to keep his mind off it and back in the real world.

(I promise…) 

The voice was his, that much he was sure of, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out who he was talking to. It wasn't much help that he could only remember a few sketchy seconds a time.

(I promise I will always love you.)

"Kaiba?" Yugi's voice broke through the haze that was dulling Kaiba's mind, in any other instance, hearing his voice would have been enough to startle him out of any daydream (not that he did that a lot mind you) but he was having a hard time shaking out of this memory. 

"Kaiba? You okay man?"

Kaiba shook his head, trying to clear the confusion that was slowing his thinking and making it near impossible to stay in the waking world. Why was this dream having such an effect on him?

"Kaiba is there something wrong? You don't look so hot…"

'Little Yugi,' Kaiba thought distractedly, still caught in the dream world, watching the conversation as if he were only a bystander, 'Little Yugi, I know you have something to do with this…"

Finally, Kaiba snapped free of the vision and was jolted back to reality with a such ferocity that his head was spinning, or was that a result of the concentration he'd exerted, trying to recall more of the dream?

"I'm fine," Kaiba answered automatically, snarling at them a little harsher than usual, they backed away sensing the change in his temperament. "I have things to do, see you later." He turned on his heel and left, his trademark trenchcoat billowing as he walked. 

"Bye Kaiba…" replied Yugi halfheartedly after the bluntness in his exit.

Joey pounded his fist into the nearest locker.

"ARGH! (clang) Why (clang) do (clang) we (clang) PUT UP WITH THAT?! (clang, clang, clang, clang)"

"Calm down Joey!" Tea cried, aware that Joey's actions were drawing an audience, but she couldn't stop him from taking one last punch at the defenseless locker he had been beating on.

****

(Flamumph!) 

"Opps, heh heh…"

The unfortunate locker was now decorated with the indent of Joey's fist, and, consequently, bent almost double. 

"My locker!"

They all turned to the owner of the voice. Behind them stood a boy with stark white hair and was wearing an expression of disbelief as he stared at his now crumpled locker.

"Sorry Bakura," Joey apologized lamely.

Tristan sighed them pulled his friends away form the locker and growing throng of people trying to see where the noise had come from, "Come on guys, if we're done with the tooth-grinding and locker-punching, _cough cough, Joey… _we have places to be."

"Tristan's right," Yugi agreed, eyeing the growing, humming crowd apprehensively, "C'mon Bakura, Joey will pay for the damages I'm sure."

"Sure Joey will," Joey muttered in third person, earning him concerned stares from his friends, "I jus' wish it'd been Kaiba I was punchin' 'stead of some locker… Why's he gotta be such a rude jerk all tha time?"

Tea laughed under her breath then mumbled, "Probably the same reason you have to be so ignorant about women…"

They entered their quickly filling homeroom one after the other and took their seats. A few minutes later…

"I 'eard that Tea…"

Kaiba made sure not to turn around as he walked away, certain that if he did, it would show his normally cold and cunning face in a state of confusion. Thought flew rapidly through his mind, bouncing off the insides as random and irregular as a maniac machine gun.

He made his way through the empty halls, to any casual observer – looking as if he knew exactly where his destination was. But under any closer scrutiny, he was wandering in a daze.

'Yugi knows,' he thought angrily, 'I know he knows something about this blasted dream!' He pushed his way through the front doors, oblivious to the smaller students he had shunted out of his way in his unintentional haste. 'Him and that millennium spirit of his…'

He stopped outside the front doors, staring absentmindedly into the morning sky. The air was crisp and clear, a telltale sign of the peak autumn season. The leaves on the two trees guarding the entranceway to the school were rapidly changing from their summertime brilliance to fall oranges, reds and yellows in all their splendor. A stray breeze ruffles the branches, sending leaves spiraling to the ground below, The breeze threatened to bring more of Seto's dream to the fore but his probing sent any new discoveries farther down below the surface. 

'I will figure this out! My past is just as shadowed as Yugi's spirit's, Yami figured his out, why can I not do the same? Why is the only thing I remember me confessing my undying love to someone I can't even see?'

Calming himself down with a few slow, deep breaths, Kaiba started walking again. He left the school grounds on foot, instead of travelling by limo as he usually did. With a dejected set to his shoulders and a contemplating scowl etched deep in his facial features, Kaiba walked home. Alone, and trying to think of someone who could help him.

And still, the leaves fell.

End Chapter One 

A/N – Heya guys, in case you haven't noticed yet, I'm trying to make things as two-toned as possible for your reading pleasure. Meaning that Kaiba is going to be as morose and depressing as usual and all the scenes with Yugi Joey and the like will be as upbeat and funny as possible, ok? Good.

Gotta book it!

Satori Blackthorn


	3. Begin Recollection

Hey lookee here, I'm updating this here thang again, I hope y'all feel real special! Anywho, let's get out of the hick talk and get back to normal speaking terms…

Wait, that **is** normal speaking 'round home…

Oh dear…

Here's the next installment of Ancient Triangle, and as usual not mine!

Satori 

Chapter Two

Begin Recollection

Upon reaching home, Kaiba was assaulted by a small, black-haired blur.

"Big Brother!" 

"Hello Mokuba," Kaiba replied tiredly, ruffling his little brother's hair affectionately. Mokuba's eyebrows shot up as he heard the worry evident in Kaiba's voice.

"What's wrong Big Brother? Is it that dream?" 

Kaiba and his little brother Mokuba were as close as two brothers could get. Whenever he had a hard day dealing with people either at school or at KaibaCorp, he could always rely on Mokuba to raise his spirits. On the flip side of the coin, Kaiba was always there for Mokuba, teaching him the ways of the world and how to make a life for himself with what he had been given. As the two were without parents, Kaiba made sure that his brother's needs were being met, and he did so with such a fierce devotion that it was known everywhere. Somehow helping to relieve the cold-hearted businessman façade that Kaiba projected for intimidational purposes.

Unless you made him angry, that was a whole other story entirely.

However, Kaiba did not recall telling Mokuba about his dream.

Narrowing his sapphire blue eyes, Kaiba fixed him with a stare equal to the ones he gave his inept techs when they misplaced memory files.

"Heh heh…" Mokuba laughed nervously, knowing that his brother wasn't happy, "I heard you mumbling about it this morning when you were working on your computer."

Kaiba sighed. "That was at 5:00 Mokuba, do you sleep?"

Mokuba didn't answer.

Kaiba sighed again. "Yes Mokuba the dream is bothering me. I can't remember all of it and I have this feeling that it is vital that I do."

"What was it Big Brother? It was just a dream wasn't it?"

He looked down at his brother, he shouldn't have to worry about this. Why bother him with reminding him about the whole 'reincarnated Egyptian priest thing' all over again? After things had just started to turn normal after the Battle City fiasco? Besides it was possible that the dream wasn't a part of his past life coming to the fore. Right? Even if it was real, why should Mokuba be involved with this battle, he's just a kid and seen too much weird stuff already. 

Kaiba weighed all the possibilities in his mind, he wanted to tell his brother that it was stupid and it was only a dream but part of him felt guilty about lying to him. Mokuba had stood by him, facing whatever problem was put in their way. Why leave him out now? 

Kaiba looked back down at his brother, knowing that he was making the right choice, his brother's eyes were shining with a concern that he knew mimicked the way he looked down at him sometimes.

"I don't think it was Mokuba, I strongly doubt it was."

*~*

At the same time that Kaiba was contemplating his strange dream, Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Tea were filing into Miss Haruna's homeroom class.

"Ah, man! Ah forgot, Mariko moved to Tokyo wit her parents didn' she?"

He was regarding the seat in front of him with a sad expression, oblivious to the significant glances his friends were giving him.

"That was two weeks ago Joey," Yugi said, shaking his head.

"Ah yeah," Joey replied sheepishly.

The classroom was similar to all the classes you would find in Domino High. The only thing that varied from class to class were the posters on the wall, the teacher in front of the class and the order the class had to sit in.

At the moment, in homeroom, the group had all been allowed to sit together in one corner of the room. Bakura sat in the front of the class in the row closest to the windows. The now noticed to be absent Mariko, once sat behind Bakura. Her empty seat was in front of Joey, where he was at this moment, pushing his pen huredly across the paper sitting in front of him.

"Joey, you told me you finished that report last night." Yugi accused him.

"I did finish it, jus not all of it," came his answer, though he never looked up from his scribbling. "ARGH, why couldn't science class be AFTER lunch!?"

Behind Joey, Mai sat leaning back in her chair, boredly filing her nails and pretending to listen to the conversations being held around her. In truth she was waiting impatiently for Joey to acknowledge the fact that she was living and breathing scant feet away from him. But with the way he was attacking his science paper, she was in for a dull wait.

Tea was in front of second row, talking to Bakura about some extra credit math assignment they had both done. The seat behind Tea's was empty and belonged to the absent Seto Kaiba. Tristan had the seat behind Kaiba and Yugi sat across the aisle from him. Miss Haruna's homeroom and history classes were the only times that the entire group was together and for that fact they were thankful. Miss Haruna's extreme mood swings were something you needed good backup for. 

Such as the one she had today.

"Joey Wheeler, favorite student of mine…"

"Yea Miss H?"

"That better not be a homework assignment I see behind that book!!"

*~*

"Ah man, Ah can't believe that Miss H. gave me a week a detentions fo' finishin' my homework!" Joey groaned, as the friends made their way to the bus stop. 

"It could have been worse Joey, she could have kept you back from the festival…" Tea said reassuring him, while trying to hide the fact that she was laughing at his predicament. 

His once downcast eyes lot up again in happiness.

"That's right, an' if she's in a bettah mood tomorrah I can probably get out a detention all together!"

"She was in a pretty dangerous mood today wasn't she?" Tristan commented absentmindedly.

"Her boyfriend probably stood her up." Mai said laughingly.

"At least we missed the history test." Yugi said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I don't think I studied the material as much as I could have."

"Study?" Joey asked blankly. "What's that mean?"

"Hey Joey…" Bakura started to say dangerously, finally coming up with a way to repay Joey for folding his locker in half.

"Yeah Bakura?"

Bakura smiled and spoke in his curious British sounding accent. "Have you told Mai about the "babe" you saw in the hallway this morning and how you were practically drooling on her?"

Joey paled visibly, turning the exact color of Bakura's hair. Mai on the other hand was turning a violently angry shade of crimson. 

"Joey Wheeler what is he talking about?"

"Eeep… Mai, it's nothing tah get mad about… it was jus' a girl I saw…"

Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Bakura laughed, Joey's flirtatious nature had gotten him in trouble with his girlfriend – again, and when Mai was angry there was bound to be plenty to laugh about.

By the time the bus pulled up at the bench where the group had been waiting, they had been joined by others from their class who were also excitably heading to the festival. When they boarded the crowded bus, it was standing room only.

"Next time we book a ride with Kaiba…" Tristan grumbled after getting elbowed in the ear for the umpteenth time by a lady with a murderous looking Chihuahua with a pink bow around its neck, perched on her shoulder. 

*~*

Kaiba reached the park roughly an hour after leaving the school. He had decided to take a leisurely stroll around the entirety of the park before arriving, trying, once again, to clear his troubled mind. Once more, it failed.

He sighed and made his way to the entrance of the park, he didn't need ID, all he needed to show to the young girl working the gate was his face. Anyone who failed to recognize the sponsor of the festival had no right to work as part of it. Kaiba nodded at the girl curtly then made his way to the Duel Monsters area that would also house his newest inventions and displays.

He still had an hour and a half before Joey and Yugi were to show up and another half-hour before any of his demonstrations were to begin. Plenty of time to kill, just nothing to kill it with.

Kaiba checked with Mokuba to see that everything was running on schedule and signed a few papers, then started walking around the festival itself. Not everything had started yet, though there were plenty of bodies strolling around, taking in the sights and sounds before the crowds started pouring in.

He stopped at the end of one of the rows, where a miniature stage had been built. The stage was only a meter above the ground, so everything could be seen from where he was standing, which, at the moment, wasn't very much. 

Over the top of the stage, read a faded and shabby looking sign that said 'See the Amazing Shadowdancer! Tips Welcome!'

Without knowing, Kaiba felt himself pulled, back into a memory, back to the past.

End Chapter Two

Just so you know I didn't plan on ending the chapter there, it just sort of happened so don't hate me (hides beneath table) 

Oh and as another note, we don't talk like that around here, really we don't. I may be from the ultimate stick of Stickville, in Canada (WOOT!) but we **do** remain civilized.

(And Rayne, don't you DARE tell them otherwise!)

Satori Blackthorn


End file.
